The first day of classes has the whole school in a frenzy as timetables are issued and First Years are attempting to find their way around the school. For Draco, his schedule is a bit more complex than others, as he is certain other N.E.W.T. students own will be as well. After the night before, he finds himself yawning throughout the day, wishing he had slept more. Were it not for the fact that N.E.W.T. Transfiguration is his first class, he is certain that he would have fallen into a deep slumber. However, as Blaise expressed the night before, sleeping in the Headmistress' class is the last thing he would desire to do.
As had been expected, many had not chosen to continue on to the highest level of education available at Hogwarts, leaving only a few students besides himself staring attentively as the older witch begins discussing the strict curriculum that they are all expected to abide throughout the year. Peering over at Hermione from his seat in the back, he notices that she has hardly made move to pick up a quill, opting instead to simply listen. He had never known her not to take notes with a tenacity nearly unrivaled, save for his own. Shaking his head, he turns back to the front of the room, trying to forget the witch is only mere feet from him.
The move had not gone unnoticed by their Professor, who continues on, as if anything abnormal has not occurred at all. Despite feigning ignorance while outlining the syllabus to the small classroom, Minerva McGonagall still notices the young Malfoy occasionally glancing at the young witch protectively, as if someone might leap at her at any possible moment, while the girl at the center of his affections remains completely unaware. It also seems to the aged witch that the young Gryffindor's movements have slowed and personality in the classroom have changed drastically, in comparison to years past. A fact, she notes, that is not wholly dismissed by Draco Malfoy.
When the first lesson concludes, Minerva calls Draco to the front, as she dismisses the others. The surprised expression on his face quickly disappears, as she witnesses the disdain he encounters on his peers' facial features when he wanders to the front of the room. A quizzical expression appears across Hermione Granger's face as she tentatively glances back, before slowly exiting shortly after.
"Mr. Malfoy, I am pleased to see you in my classroom as a student once again," she begins, paying attention to the way his eyes shift downward when she addresses him.
"Thank you Professor. I am grateful you allowed me to return," he asserts quietly.
"Why would I not? Your true colors were always visible to those of us with the ability to see beyond your circumstance. A boy in your position did far worse at your age out of pure malice. You, on the other hand, simply meant to protect your family. While your methods were wrong, your intent was pure," she affirms, not one to mince words.
"Forgive me Headmistress, but, how can you say that? I did horrible things, I-,"
"At this point in time, do you still believe in Pureblood supremacy, Mr. Malfoy?"
"No, of course not," Draco answers, slightly taken aback by the question.
"Do you wish to create a master race, effectively murdering anyone who disagrees with you?"
"Of sodding course not!" he shouts vehemently.
"If your answers reflect how you truly feel, then you will always have a place at this school. People can change. It is often one of the most beautiful and most terrifying parts of life."
"I suppose so."
"As someone who has witnessed countless young witches and wizards pass through these halls, I can assure you, this is where you belong."
"Thank you Professor," he replies in earnest.
"Before you go, would you like a biscuit, Mr. Malfoy?"
Ambling down the corridor, taking each step in a timely manner, Hermione's brain whirs on its own steady pace. While finding that Draco Malfoy had returned to Hogwarts had thrown her for a loop, the increasing pain inside of her body is an entirely different matter, which requires her current mental facilities. Certain days, her body feels almost normal, whereas others have her wanting to sleep the pain away. At present, a raging fire of torment is building within her, spreading as if it were wild.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" Luna asks, noticing her friend's pace slowing as she catches up with her in the hall.
"I'm," she winces as a shock of pain bolts through her, "fine."
"If you were fine, then you wouldn't be staggering towards a wall in pain," the blonde says in frustration.
Leaning up against the wall to catch her breath, Hermione attempts to reign in her pain, so that it will not prevent her from arriving to her next class in one piece. However, her body has other ideas. A third shock of pain flashes through her like lightning, which then has her on the floor, curling into the fetal position.
"Hermione!" Luna screams, dropping everything on the way down to sit beside her.
Moments later, the Ravenclaw looks around to find someone else who can assist her in taking the fallen Gryffindor to the Hospital Wing, but all other stray students have scurried off to their next subject. Without a moment's hesitation after this realization, Luna grabs her wand, then mutters, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Through the hall, Luna levitates her friend, refusing to stop even when she encounters Draco Malfoy turn even more pale at the sight of Hermione. From the corner of her eyes, she witnesses him cast a spell, which eases the weight of the witch she is carrying within her own enchantment. Together, they both are able to deposit her in a cot upon arrival with relative ease. At the sight of the witch landing on the fresh sheets, Madame Pomfrey looks to the odd pair who had delivered her for an explanation.
"She was walking down the halls when I found her stumbling in pain. Shortly after, she collapsed in front of me while I was explaining to her that she needed to come straight to you."
"Where does he come into all of this?" the nurse points to Draco, while she begins patting Hermione's forehead with a cool cloth.
"I passed him on my way here, and he chose to give me assistance in levitating her here."
"Thank you both then, for bringing her here. I will notify the Headmistress of her appearance. If you wish, either of you may visit her later if she remains in my care through the day. You may both return to you classes now," Madame Pomfrey states by way of dismissal.
While Luna merely nods, before exiting, Draco stands there motionless, watching Madame Pomfrey tend to Hermione. gaze upon her, the healing witch gives him a questioning glance, before realizing he is worried for her newest patient.
"She's in good hands, Mr. Malfoy, I assure you," she says softly, before returning to her work.
Beside him, the feeling of a hand lightly tugging on the arm of his school robe brings him out of his daze. Slowly, he allows Luna Lovegood to lead him out of the Infirmary, closing the door behind the pair as she does. Turning her gaze up at the taller blonde, Luna pats him sincerely, somehow understanding his deep seated fear.
"Madame Pomfrey is an excellent healer. Hermione will be fine. She just needs rest," Luna reminds, speaking softly.
"The last time I saw her lying on the floor in that position, my Aunt had nearly killed her. No matter how I try, I can't take that vision out of my mind. What if Bellatrix did more damage that the Healers at St. Mungo's did not catch in the preliminary exam of her?" Draco replies, speaking more to himself than the witch in front of him.
"Have faith in the unknown then, just as I did, when you would repeatedly sneak food and water to us while we were retained as prisoners in that awful holding cell in Malfoy Manor."
"Faith is for those who haven't lost all that they once held dear. Take care of her, please" he whispers, before striding away from the Hospital Wing without another glance back.
Hours later, Hermione awakens aching all over, but alive. Surveying the now slightly darkened room, she notices Luna sitting at the foot of her bed, eyeing her warily. The witch, holding a copy of a magazine she is certain is of Muggle origin, drops the reading material in favor of embracing her friend in a brief hug. Pulling away, she stands up to help fluff the pillow so that the witch can sit up against it.
"What time is it?" the bushy haired witch queries, looking around the otherwise empty room.
"A quarter past seven. The sun will be setting soon. How do you feel?"
"I've been worse," Hermione replies, pushing herself up against the now vertical pillow.
"Can I get you anything?"
"A glass of water would be nice, if it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all. I'll be back in a moment."
In Luna's absence, Hermione trails her gaze up to the ceiling where the orange glow spilling through the windows gives an almost ethereal quality to the tall gothic archways above. The sight fills her with a warmth that spreads through her whole body, reminding her that where there is darkness, there is also light. When her friend returns with a cool glass of ice water, the Gryffindor is a bit more lively than before.
"How did I make it down here? The last thing I remember is assuring you that I was perfectly normal. After that, I blacked out."
"I levitated you here, with the help of Draco Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Hermione repeats in shock.
Merely nodding, Luna confirms her statement to be true.
Instead of making another comment, she lies her head back across the top of the pillow, staring at the ceiling in thought. On occasion over the summer, her mind would drift to the moment when she had set in the courtroom, underneath the gaze of the same aforementioned blonde. It had intrigued her, but did nothing more than to make her wonder. Colliding with him on the Hogwarts Express had been odd, to say the least. Finding him staring at her again during the Sorting Feast with the same look she had witnessed throughout his trial had been quite strange, she admits. However, the fact that he had accompanied Luna in her venture of transporting her to the Infirmary is a bit more than she can comprehend in her potion induced state.
The pieces she mused, all fit, if she thought long enough about it. How, she could not say, presently. To her, it seems she's grasping for an answer just beyond her realm of consideration, returning empty handed each time. Never before had she felt so close, but yet so far from a proper solution. The sound of Ginny's footsteps entering the room break through her reverie.
"Hermione, I'm so glad to see you awake!" she declares, rushing forward to embrace her friend.
Once she has stepped back from their hug, she scrutinizes the young woman in front of her closely.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier you were in pain?" Ginny chastises.
"I wasn't until after Transfiguration. It hit all at once, like a lightning storm. If Luna hadn't found me, then no one would have known."
"It's a good thing too. I wrote to Ron earlier, and he and Harry are already in a right state."
"Of course they are. If someone brings me some parchment and a quill with ink, I can send them both an owl, now that I'm awake."
In the blink of an eye between the other two witches, both requests are brought to her in rapid succession. Within minutes, Hermione has a quill in her shaky right hand, pressing the tip to the sheaf of parchment. Frustration ensues however, when she is unable to continue the fluid motions she once had become so accustomed to in her own handwriting. Huffing in aggravation, she slowly scribes a letter to Harry and Ron, before setting the quill down to massage her right hand. Without much deliberation, the other two snatch up the materials, with Luna heading off towards the Owlery to send the letter.
Watching the scroll fly away, tied to the leg of one of the school owls, Luna steps back for a moment to stare off into the sunset. The sun, nearly completely sunk now below the horizon, serves as her point of fixation while she loses herself in thought. Footsteps behind her hardly register in her mind, until Draco Malfoy walks into view, with his own letter in hand. The sight of the blonde witch surprises him, but he continues on nonetheless.
"She's awake," Luna pronounces into the silence.
A visible release of stiffness within his stature is the only affirmation she receives that he heard a word she had spoken. An owl with the fierce appearance of a tiger, hops toward the Slytherin, who caresses the top of her head before attaching the parchment to its leg. When she flies away, he traipses past Luna, with no other acknowledgment thrown her way at all.
Late into the night, Hermione awakens again, bolting up covered in a cold sweat. The darkness around her helps little in her attempt to assuage her own fears facilitated by yet another bad dream. Inhaling and exhaling, she focuses on anything her mind can fabricate, other than what she has just witnessed. Her first thought is her blonde Slytherin classmate who presents an unsolved puzzle before her, which she had yet to decode when she had nodded off earlier while speaking with Ginny.
Author's Note: So, I feel like if I am to ever finish this story in a timely manner, posting at least twice a week is a better fit. Hope you all enjoy this newest installment. Let me know what you think. Again, thank you to everyone following, favoriting, and reviewing. Have a good day. :)